Air exhaust actuator for an air conditioner

ABSTRACT

A room air conditioner of the type having a partition, which divides the indoor and outdoor sections of the air conditioning unit. The partition has an exhaust opening for exhausting room air into the outdoor section. An improved exhaust and control arrangement includes a scroll structure mounted in the indoor section for directing conditioned air into the space to be cooled. The scroll structure has a rear wall in confronting relation with the partition and has an exhaust opening therein in fluid communication with the indoor section side of the exhaust opening in the partition. Support structure is provided in the indoor section located laterally of and forwardly of the exhaust opening in the partition. The partition is provided with a second opening therethrough adjacent the support structure. A one-piece exhaust actuation device includes an elongated actuating arm. The arm has a first end extending forwardly of the support structure, an intermediate section extending in close proximity to the support structure and through the second opening into the outdoor section. A second end of the actuation device has a curved section configured to extend into the outdoor section in a first direction and to substantially reverse direction with the end of the curved section adjacent to the outdoor section side of the exhaust opening in the partition. The end of the curved section carries a door thereupon which is configured to block air flow through the exhaust opening in the partition when it is in confronting relation therewith. Means are provided on the support structure for pivotally supporting the intermediate section of the actuating arm at a position such that lateral movement of the first end of the arm will result in movement of the door selectively between a position in confronting relation with the exhaust opening and a position allowing free exhaust flow through the exhaust opening.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to air conditioning units which are adapted toexhaust unwanted air as well as to provide conditioned air to a roombeing served by the unit. More specifically, the present inventionrelates to apparatus for moving a door covering an exhaust port in aself contained air conditioner having the foregoing capability.

BACKGROUND ART

Air conditioning units which are commonly used for residential andsimilar application generally are contained within a single casing. Thiscasing is usually divided by a partition into an evaporator section anda condenser section, each section having its own fan to circulate airtherein. The air conditioning unit is normally mounted with theevaporator section communicating with the room air to be conditioned andthe condenser section communicating with external air such as outsideair. Refrigerant flows through the self contained refrigerant circuitremoving heat from the room air and discharging heat to the outside air.

In addition to the capability of the air conditioning unit to providetemperature controlled air to the room, it is desirable for the unit tohave means for exhausting unwanted room air from the room to theoutside. This is accomplished by the location of a port in the partitionseparating the condenser section from the evaporator section. A part ofthe room air enters the evaporator section of the unit and is forced bythe evaporator and condenser fans through the port into the condensersection communicating with outside air.

Since the port must be selectively open when the unit is in the exhaustmode of operation, that mode in which part of the unwanted room air isbeing exhausted, and closed when the unit is in the separate mode ofoperation to condition the room air, a door is provided to cover theport and a control mechanism is necessary to maintain the door in theappropriate position.

Previous door control mechanisms, while effective, have been relativelycomplex, requiring numerous parts and considerable skill and effort toassemble the parts. Moreover, prior mechanisms have been awkward tooperate and have required the exertion of considerable force to changedoor positions. Furthermore, mechanisms of the preceding type havetended to make access to the interior of the unit for service moredifficult.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

A room air conditioner of the type having a partition, which divides theindoor and outdoor sections of the air conditioning unit. The partitionhas an exhaust opening for exhausting room air into the outdoor section.An improved exhaust and control arrangement includes a scroll structuremounted in the indoor section for directing conditioned air into thespace to be cooled. The scroll structure has a rear wall in confrontingrelation with the partition and has an exhaust opening therein in fluidcommunication with the indoor section side of the exhaust opening in thepartition. Support structure is provided in the indoor section locatedlaterally of and forwardly of the exhaust opening in the partition. Thepartition is provided with a second opening therethrough adjacent thesupport structure. A one-piece exhaust actuation device includes anelongated actuating arm. The arm has a first end extending forwardly ofthe support structure, an intermediate section extending in closeproximity to the support structure and through the second opening intothe outdoor section. A second end of the actuation device has a curvedsection configured to extend into the outdoor section in a firstdirection and to substantially reverse direction with the end of thecurved section being adjacent to the outdoor section side of the exhaustopening in the partition. The end of the curved section carries a doorthereupon which is configured to block air flow through the exhaustopening in the partition when it is in confronting relation therewith.Means are provided on the support structure for pivotally supporting theintermediate section of the actuating arm at a position such thatlateral movement of the first end of the arm will result in movement ofthe door selectively between a position in confronting relation with theexhaust opening and a position allowing free exhaust flow through theexhaust opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood and its objects and advantageswill become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a room air conditioner, which embodiesthe features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the air exhaust actuator, accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the upper side of the air exhaustactuator, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the lower side of the air exhaustactuator, according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the air conditionerillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 withthe housing and a number of the internal components removed therefrom;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a large internal molded component of theair conditioner of FIG. 1 as viewed from the lower side thereofillustrating details of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the region designated FIG. 8 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the air conditioning unit of FIG.9 with the housing and front grille removed therefrom;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the region designated as FIG. 10 in FIG.9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the large molded component illustratedin FIG. 7 from the rear thereof;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing the region identified as FIG. 12 inFIG. 11 with the door open;

FIG. 12A is a view similar to FIG. 12 with the door closed;

FIG. 13 is a perspective of the large molded component of FIG. 7 fromthe front top thereof illustrating the actuator in the open position;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the region identified as FIG. 14 in FIG.13;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 13 with the actuator illustrated inthe closed position; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the region identified as FIG. 16 in FIG.15.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

FIG. 1 illustrates a room air conditioner unit 10, which includes,generally, an indoor section 12 and outdoor section 14. The room airconditioner is enclosed in a substantially rectangular housing 16 and isadapted to be positioned in a rectangular opening in an exterior wall orin a window in a room where cooling is desired, with the indoor section12 facing into the room, as is conventional. The indoor section 12includes an indoor grille section 18, which includes inlet louvers 19and a pair of air discharge assemblies 20, each mounted in an airdischarge opening 21. The front grille 18 also includes a control panel22 and directly overlying the control panel 22 a small rectangularopening 23 through which extends the actuating end 27 of an air exhaustactuator 25, which will be described in detail hereinbelow.

Looking now at FIGS. 5, 6 and 9, the components of both the indoorsection 12 and the outdoor section 14 are supported in a rectangularbasepan 24. The indoor and outdoor sections are separated in part by avertically extending metal partition 26, which extends from the basepanapproximately one-half of the vertical distance of the air conditioningunit. The indoor section comprises basically an evaporator coil 28vertically disposed at the front end thereof, an evaporator or indoorfan 30 located behind the evaporator coil 28, and an air directingscroll 29. The outdoor section 14 includes a condenser coil 32vertically disposed adjacent the back end thereof, a condenser fan 34located within the outdoor section adjacent the condenser coil, and acondenser fan shroud defined in part by lower section thereof 36. Theunit's compressor 35 is also located in the outdoor section 14. Thecondenser coil 32 is fluidly interconnected with the compressor 35 andthe evaporator 28 in a conventional manner to provide, in combinationwith fans, cooling to the room in which the unit is installed.

During operation, air from the space to be conditioned is drawn byaction of the evaporator fan 30 through the inlet louvers 19 and isdirected through the evaporator coil 28 where the air is cooled. Thecooled air is then directed by the scroll 29 back into the room to becooled through the air discharge openings/air discharge assemblies21/20. At the same time, ambient air is drawn through inlets 38 in theoutside section of the housing 16 and through a fan orifice 39 definedby the condenser shroud, by operation of the condenser fan 34, and isdirected through the condenser coil 32 before exiting from the back sideof the unit.

The air conditioning unit 10 is different from the construction of otherwindow air conditioner units in that it includes a large one-piecemolded component 40, which overlies both the indoor and outdoor sections12 and 14 of the air conditioning unit and serves a number of support,positioning, dividing and other structural requirements of the airconditioning unit. This component and its relation to the overallstructure of the air conditioning unit forms the subject matter ofanother patent application filed on the same date as the presentapplication and, accordingly, will not be described in detail hereinexcept as it relates to the air exhaust actuator of the presentinvention. It will, however, facilitate understanding of the inventionto briefly describe the component, its structure and how it interactswith other components of the air conditioning system.

The large component comprises a substantially planar upper surface 42having a rear horizontal extension 44, which is adapted to overly thecondenser coil 32 and a front section 46, which overlies the scroll 29of the indoor section. Extending downwardly adjacent the back section 44is a downwardly extending section 48, which defines the upper section ofthe condenser fan shroud. Another downwardly extending structure 50cooperates with a motor mount structure 52 to support an electric motor54, which is adapted to drive both the evaporator fan 30 and thecondenser fan 34.

Extending downwardly from the upper surface 42 of the component 40 andforwardly of the motor mounting section 50 is a vertically extendingwall 56, which defines a lower edge 58. The edge 58 is configured toengage the upper edge 60 of the metal partition 26 so that the upper andlower sections together define the partition between the indoor andoutdoor sections. A left-hand side wall 62 extends downwardly from thefront left edge 64 of the upper surface 42 forwardly of the partitionwall 56. The left wall 62 has a lower edge 66 which engages an upperedge 68 of a left side wall 70 of the metal partition section 26.

Extending downwardly from the right front edge 72 of the upper surface40 is a right side wall 74. The side wall 74 defines a lower edge 76,which is configured to sealingly engage an upper edge 78 of a right-handside wall portion 80 of the lower metal partition section 26. Both ofthe side walls 74 and 80 extend forwardly within the indoor section suchthat front edges 84 and 86 thereof, respectively, lie in a common planewith the front edge 85 of the basepan 24. As best seen in FIG. 10, asecond inner side wall 88 extends downwardly from the upper surface 42in confronting parallel relationship with the inside surface 90 of theupper portion of the right side wall 74. Extending between the outerright side wall 74 and the inner side wall 88 is a horizontal surface 92which, as will be seen, serves to support the air exhaust actuator 25.The side wall 74, the side wall 88 and the horizontal support surface 92together define a substantially rectangular space having an open front94, an open top 96 and a back wall 98 which has a rectangular opening100 formed therein.

The back wall 98 and the opening 100 are spaced forwardly from asubstantially planar section 102 formed on the right side of thepartition wall 56, as best seen in FIG. 11. The wall 102 includes arectangular opening 104 spaced rearwardly from and of substantially thesame dimensions as the opening 100. The wall section 102 also has an airexhaust opening 106 formed therein at a location to the left of theopening 104, as viewed in FIGS. 9 and 10 (to the right thereof, asviewed in FIGS. 11, 12 and 12A). As is best seen in the detail of FIG.12, the exhaust opening comprises a plurality of perforations 108extending through the wall thus communicating the outdoor side sectionof the partition with the indoor section side of the partition. Theopening 106 is substantially square shaped and has a rearwardlyextending perimeter frame therearound defined by left, right and lowerrearwardly extending elements 110 and a horizontally extending wall 112forming the top thereof Looking now at FIGS. 6, 9 and 10, the evaporatorscroll 29 is formed from a molded foamed plastic material and isprovided with a rectangularly shaped air exhaust opening 114 formed inthe rear wall 116 thereof As is best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the opening114 is located in the interior of the scroll rearwardly of one of theair discharge openings 21. Also, as best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, whenthe large molded component 40 is installed in the air conditioner, theexhaust opening 114 in the scroll and the rear wall 116 of the scroll isin confronting relationship with the indoor side 118 of the planar wallsection 102, with the exhaust opening 114 in confronting fluid flowrelationship with the exhaust opening 106 in the wall 102.

The air exhaust actuator 25. as indicated above. is a one-piececomponent having an outer end 27 for operating the actuator. From theouter end 27, the actuator extends through a first step section 120 toan elongated intermediate section 122. The front end of the intermediatesection includes an enlarged section 124 having a through opening 126formed therein. The opening 126 is adapted to receive therein a pivotpin 128, which is formed in the front section of the horizontal supportsurface 92. The pin 128 is molded into the support section and has asplit configuration defining an enlarged head 130. The enlarged head islarger in diameter than the opening 126 and the split configuration ofthe pin allows the two sections forming the enlarged head to deflecttoward one another to allow passage through the opening 126 with the twosections of the split head returning to their original position afterpassage through the opening to thereby mount the actuator 25 for pivotalmovement about the pivot pin 128.

The intermediate section 122 also has formed therein, at a locationspaced rearwardly from the opening 126, a pair of laterally extendingprotrusions 132, each of which is provided with a positioning pin 134extending downwardly therefrom. Formed in the horizontal support surface92 underlying the lateral protrusions 132 is a laterally extendingarcuate slot 136. The slot has a central large dimension intermediatesection 137, which receives both of the positioning pins 134 for freelateral translation of the pins therethrough as the actuating arm 25 ispivoted about the pivot pin 128. The slot has, at its left andright-hand ends thereof, arcuate reduced dimension sections 138, whichare configured to receive in snap-fit relationship the positioning pin134 associated therewith when said pin is caused to move into engagementtherewith by pivotal movement of the actuator 25.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 13-16 show the details of the range of motion of theintermediate section 122 of the actuator. Specifically, FIGS. 13 and 14illustrate these components as they are engaged when the actuator end 27is displaced laterally to the left such that the right-hand pin 134 isengaged in the arcuate socket 138 on the right-hand side. Similarly,FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate these components with the actuator end 27moved to the right with the left-hand positioning pin 134 in snap-fitengagement with its associated socket 138.

At the inside end of the intermediate section 122, the actuator 25 has asecond step section 140, which as seen in FIG. 10, elevates the actuatorso that the section 142 extending rearwardly of the second step 140 maythrough first the rectangular opening 100 and thence through the opening104 in the partition wall 102. As best seen in FIG. 12, a cube shapedfoam insulating element 144 is positioned within the space definedbetween the walls 100 and 104. The foam cube is provided with ahorizontal slot 146 therein, which receives the section 142 of theactuator and allows lateral motion of this section with respect to thecube 144 as the actuator is pivoted about the pivot pin 128. The foamcube serves to prevent flow of air between the indoor and outdoorsections.

Extending from the linear section 140 of the actuator is a curvedsection 148. As best seen in FIGS. 11, 12 and 12A, the curved sectionextends rearwardly into the outdoor section and undergoes a completechange in direction with the end 150 thereof having a rectangularexhaust opening door 152 formed thereon. The door 152 is substantiallysquare in shape and is adapted to fit within the walls 110 and 112defining the perimeter surrounding the exhaust opening 106 in the wallsection 102. As thus configured, the door 152 will be in the positionillustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 with the door spaced from the exhaustopening 106 when the actuator 25 is in the position described above inconnection with FIGS. 13 and 14; and, the door 152 will be inconfronting sealing relationship with the exhaust opening 106, asillustrated in FIG. 12A, when the actuator 25 is in the position withthe end 27 of the actuator displaced to the right, as described above inconnection with FIGS. 15 and 16. The snap-fit relationship of thepositioning pins 134 with the sockets 138 in the arcuate slot willassure that the door will remain in the selected open or closed positionduring operation of the air conditioning unit.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a room air conditioner of the type having apartition dividing indoor and outdoor sections, the partition having anexhaust opening for exhausting room air into the outdoor section, animproved exhaust and control arrangement comprising: a scroll structuremounted in the indoor section for directing conditioned air into thespace to be cooled, said scroll structure having a rear wall inconfronting relation with said partition and having an exhaust openingtherein in fluid communication with the indoor section side of saidexhaust opening in said partition; support structure in the indoorsection located laterally of and forwardly of said exhaust opening insaid partition, said partition having a second opening therethroughpositioned adjacent said support structure; a one-piece exhaustactuation device, said device comprising an elongated actuating arm,said arm having a first end extending forwardly of said supportstructure, an intermediate section extending in close proximity to saidsupport structure and through said second opening into said outdoorsection, and a second end having a curved section configured to extendinto said outdoor section in a first direction and to substantiallyreverse direction with the end of said curved section adjacent to saidoutdoor section side of said exhaust opening in said partition, said endof said curved section carrying a door thereupon configured to block airflow through said exhaust opening in said partition when in confrontingrelation therewith; means on said support structure for pivotallysupporting said intermediate section of said actuating arm at a positionsuch that lateral movement of said first end will result in movement ofsaid door selectively between a position in confronting relation withsaid exhaust opening and a position allowing free exhaust flow throughsaid exhaust opening.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further includingpositioned retaining structure formed on said support structure forengaging said intermediate section of said actuating arm and selectivelyreleasably holding said actuator in either said position with said doorin confronting relation with said exhaust opening or said positionallowing free exhaust flow through said exhaust opening.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2 wherein said position retaining structure comprisesan arcuate slot formed in said support surface underlying and adjacentto said intermediate arm, said slot having a middle section having afirst width and sockets formed at the ends thereof each of said socketshaving a diameter less than said width; and wherein said intermediatearm has an arcuate wall formed integrally therewith which is configuredto substantially overlie said slot, said arcuate wall having a pair ofspaced apart positioning pins extending downwardly therefrom and intosaid slot, each of said pins being configured to pass from said middlesection of said slot to be releasably retained by one of said sockets.said pins and said sockets being positioned such that one of said pinswill retain said actuator in said exhaust position and the other pin andsocket will retain said actuator in said free flow position.